Journal of the Bizarre

During the early 20th century in Topeka, Kansas, many fantastic tales were told about the infamous "House of the Green Shutters", which stood on 10th Avenue near the site of the long-defunct Bethany College (later known as Vail College). Strange tales of ghosts, hidden tunnels and secret passages are connected with this house, which was also known to Topeka locals as "The Crazy House".

The house, a dark colored stucco structure built close to the sidewalk, was said to have been built during the time of Civil War by a woman who was a Confederate sympathizer, and its unusual architecture was designed to aid in the escape of fugitives. At the time of the war, the windows were surrounded by iron bars, and the interior featured several secret passageways, hidden compartments and well-concealed peep-holes. One popular rumor was that the woman who built the house lived in constant terror of an unseen enemy, and constructed the tunnels and hidden passages so that she would…

Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning, "remember that you have to die". It is more than just a phrase, of course; it is a reminder-- a warning-- that from the moment we are born, we are careening toward our inevitable demise.

Death is a universal truth-- at least it is a universal truth in the minds of most people. Yet, for as long as mankind has buried its dead, there have been many who devoted their lives to finding the key to everlasting life. And there are also those who claimed to have found it.

We decided to check in with some of these self-proclaimed discoverers of eternal life to see how they're doing. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that they were all dead.

Of all the people who claimed to be immortal, few were as interesting as Leonard "Live-Forever" Jones, an eccentric politician who once ran for President of the United States and who genuinely believed that immortality could be achieved by adhering to a strict regimen of prayer and fasting.

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Aaron Burr, one of the most infamous political figures in American history, is best remembered not for serving as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, but for shooting political rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804.

Although the duel was illegal, Burr never faced trial for killing Hamilton (all charges against him were dropped). Nonetheless, the duel put an end to Burr's political career and controversy followed him everywhere he went for the rest of his life. Three years after the duel Burr was arrested for treason, and he was accused of conspiring with General James Wilkinson and other military leaders to establish an independent country carved out of parts of Texas and Mexico.

Burr was eventually acquitted of these charges, but his reputation never recovered. He lost his fortune in a series of bad business deals and was so broke that he fled to Europe in order to escape from his creditors. From 1808 to 1812 Burr lived in exile in England, until the British Empire force…